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Hawks’ Lou Williams Tears ACL, Out For Season

Lou Williams is done for the remainder of the NBA’s 2012-13 season. Atlanta’s third-leading scorer tore the ACL in his right knee during Friday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

“It’s certainly devastating to us to lose Lou,” Hawks coach Larry Drew told the league’s website before the Hawks took on the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

Williams averaged 14.1 points per game in this his first year with the Hawks.

“It’s all part of the business,” Drew said. “You hate to see it happen.

“You hope for a fast and speedy recovery but you have to move on. I’m expecting the guys to respond to this, I really am. This is just another test for us as a team and me as a coach. We have to get somebody in that locker room that is going to have to step up. Any time one of your soldiers is down somebody else has to pick it up. I have confidence that that will happen.”

Spurs coach Greg Popovich weighed in on the injury.

Popovich called Williams “a hell of a force” and added, “I hate to hear he’s out for the whole year.”

Another Hawks star told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the team’s leading sixth man will be missed.

I just pray for him,” Jeff Teague said. “Hopefully it’s a speedy recovery. It is tough losing a guy like that coming off the bench and getting points in bunches. He’s just a good guy all around, a good player, a good friend, someone I enjoy playing with.”

The loss is another piece of bad news for a Hawks team that looked great in December and crashed to Earth in January.

Rookie shooting guard John Jenkins will see extended time in Williams’ absence.

By all indications the Hawks will support Williams.

In the meantime GM Danny Ferry is working on a alternate course.

“We’ll examine every and all options that can be considered and make decisions from there,” Ferry said.